Scale



Sept 14, 1954 E. A. REUSSENZEHN 2,689120 SCALE Filed June 28, 1950 INVENTOR.

ERNEST A. REUSSENZEHN ATTORNEYS Patentecl Sept. 14, 1954 SCALE Ernest A. Reussenzehn, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The Hobart Manufacturing Company, Troy,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application J une 28, 1950, Serial N0. 170,795

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to sca1es.

The invention has particular relation to scales f the type xvherein the weighing -platform is carried. by a lever supported oh one or more pivot elements having a knife edge which is subject to displacement with respect to its supporting bearing as a result of oft-Center 1oading of the platform, in which event the accuracy of the soale may be affected, and which also is subject to darnage by such relative displacernent -in the event of shock to the scale such as may be caused during shipping or the like. 'I'he present invention is directed particularly to the provision of a hold-down mechanism for a sca1e of this type Which will effectively 1imit such relative displaoement of the pivot element and. its bearing and which at the same time Will cooperate with the pivot element during shipment or other non-use of the scale to prevent damage to the pivot element er the bearing therefor resulting from relative displacement thereof.

In accordance with the invention, the holddovvn mechanism includes a hold-down mernber oarried by the base of the sca1e and a cooperating abutment on the 1ever which has an upper ed.ge portion substantially coaxial with the fulcrum axis of the pivot element. The hold-down member is supported in such manner as to everbang this edge portion of its cooperating abutment laut is set in predetermined spaced relation therewith such that under normal operating C011- clitions, there is a predetermined slight clearance 'therebetween but with the hold-down member thus acting to 1imit relative displacement of the pivot element and bearing laut normally having 110 contact With the lever mechanism.

In operation With this hold-down mechanism, under normal loading conditions the pivot element remains fulcrumed in its bearing, and. since the desired clearance is thus maintained between the hold-down member and its cooperating abutr ment 011 the lever, the lever is completely free o1 any loading 01 friction effect of the holddown mechanism. However, in the event of offoenter loading of the weighing platform sufcient to cause the pivot element to 1ift from its bearing, the abutment will come incontact With the hold-down member as soon as it crosses the olearance space therebetween, and thus the relative displacement of the pivot element and bearing Es effectively limited.

Also, in order to guard against damage from relative movement of the pivot 'element and bearing during shipment or the 1ike, and at the same time to make possible accurate presetting of the hold-down member at the factory to the proper predetermined clearance position with respect to the pivoting axis of the lever, the holddown member is so mounted with respect the base of the scale as to be movable upwardly from its operating position and is provided With a relatively streng spring biasing it against such upward movement. Accordingly, when it is clesired to ship the scale, or for other conditions of non-use, the 1ever can be raised manually against the strong spring cf the hold-down mechanism to a clearance position of the pivot with respect to its bearing and then weniges! or other- Wise secured in this raised and inoperative position. Under such conditions, the spring aids in holding the lever firmly against movement during shipment, and then when it is desired to return the scale to active use, by release of the 1ever for return to its operating position, the spring immediately returns the hold-down memher to its proper and preset clearance position with respect to its cooperating abutment fo1 use of the sca1e as described.

It is accordingly one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide a hold-down mechanism for scales of the above type which will effectively limit relative displacement of the pivot element for the sca1e 1ever and its supporting bearing during use without contact With the lever mechanism under normal operating conditions, and which in addition Will cooperate With the lever mechanism during shipment er other non-use of the scale to prevent relative movement of the pivot element and bearing capable of causing damage thereto.

It is also an object of the invention to provide such a hold-down mechanism which is simple and economioal in construction, which may be accurately preset at the factory to its preferred clearance position for operation, and which Will retain its presst position during shipment without requiring subsequent adjustment for use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollovving description, the accompanying drawing and the appended claim.

In the draWing- Fig. l is a perspective view of a sca1e constructed in accordance with the invention as viewed from the custom@rs side;

Fig, 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partially broken away and in section, showing a hold-down mechanism in accordance with the invention and in operating position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view at right angles to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a I;op plan view of the hold-down mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a froni; fragmentary view at right angles to Fig. 2 with the mechanism in operating position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section similar 110 Fig. 2 and showing the mechanism in inoperative position for shipment of the scale;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar 110 Fig. 5 showing the mechanisrn in inoperative position;

Fig. 8 is a further enlarged view of a fragment of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing another form of the invention in operating position.

Referring to Ihe drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments of the invention, the scale shown in Fig. 1 includes a generally rectangular casing I having the loading platform II at the top and provided With the usual flange I2 at the customers side. The frame I3 sei: in the casing II] ab the custorners side 0f the scale includes the usual viewing window I through which the oustomer may observe ehe weight readings on the scale and an additional larger window I6 is usually provided within which may be advertising material or the lil e. A detailed disolosure of a soale of i-his type may be foun l in Meeker et a1. Patent 2287814 issued June 20, 1942, 130 the same assignee as this applioation.

The casing I3 is supported on the base of the scale, and ehe weighing platform is carried by the lever shown fragmentarily ab 22. The lever is provided with a pivot elemeni; 24 at either sioie of tl1e lever shown as having a knife edge fulcruming portion 25, and each of these pivot elements .is fulcrumed in a bearing 26 carried. by

an upwarclly projeciaing portion 21 of the base and.

hold iherein by meang such as a ootter pin 28. Under normal operating conditions, the bearing and tl'ie knife edge 25 of ehe pivot element dez'lne the pivoting axis er range 1ine of the lever represented by the broken line 30 in Figs. 2, 6 and. 8.

'lhe holcl-&lown mechanism for the pivot elemeni: inoludes a hold-down pin 33 carried by the on its opposite sid-e from I;he pivoa elemeni: 24 in pre etermined relation with the pivot elernont such tl1at the uppermost portion of the surface of the pin 33 is directly coaxial with knife edge 25. This pin 33 acts as the oooperating abutrnent on ihe lever for the hold-down stud 35, whioh is carried by a braeket arm 36 secured to Ehe base projeotion 21 by a pair of sorews 31 and oxtending inwardly of the base above the pivot element 24 and lever 22. The bracket 36 also carries an adjustalole tnrust screw 40 having an enlarged head in position to engage the end 015 pivot element 24, the thrust screw 40 being threacled through bracket 36 as shown in Fig. 2 and provicled with a lock nui; 4I.

'Ihe hold-down sbud 35 includes an enlarged head portion 44 and a cylinolrical snank slidable in a threacled bushing 45. 'Ihis bushing 45 forms an acljustment sind Ior the holddown stud 35, and it is threaded through the bracket 35 and is providefl with a locl: nut 46. A relatively strong and stiif spiral spring 41 is mounted on I;he cylindrioal portion of the holrl-down stud 35 between its heaol 44 and the bushing 45, and a retaining ring 48 is secured within a circumferential groove at the upper end of thehold-down stud to limit its downward movement with respect to the bush- Ing.

In operation with this hold-down mechanism, the adjustable bushing 45 is preset in bracket 33 to such position that When the pivot element; 24 is in properly seated. relation with its bearing 26, there will be a predetermined small clearance between the head 44 cf? the hold-down stand 35 and the adjacent edge portion 0f the hold-down pin 33. This clearance is shown at 50 in the somewhat exaggerated view in Fig. 8 and II; will be seen that in fact the clearance is between the operating end of the hold-down sind and I:he range line 30 of -I;he lever. 'I'he extent of the clearance is pref'erably such that under normal loading of the weighing platform I I, there will be no contaci:- between the hold-down stud 35 and the pin 33, but in the event of an oiT-center loacling condition such that: the pivot element tends to litt from its bearing 26, the pin 33 will then promptly come in contactwith the stud 35 to limit this lifiaing movemeni; of the pivot element. Satisfacaory resulns have been obtained in a scale of tlie type shown when the relative adjustment oi the hold-down stud and the pin 33 is such that the clearance therebetween in the normal operating position of the scale is of the order of 0.010 inch.

In order to facilitate desired effective separation of the pivot element 24 andbearing 26 during shipment of the scale, and thus to prevent possibledamage fiom contact therebetween, the lever 22 and an upward.projection 60 on the base are proVicled with matching holes 6I and 32 for receiving a locking pin 65. These holes EI and 32 are in such vertical relation that in the normal operating position of the lever shown in Fig. 5, the hole 62 in the lever Will be somewhat below the hole GI in. the base portion GI), for example approximatehl 1% inch. Thus when the lever is raised sgufliciently to bring the two holes into accurate ooincidence for receiving a locking pin 65, the pivotelement 24 will have its knife edge 25 correspondingly raised above and out of contact with its bearing 23. Also, sinoe th.is extent of upward movement of the lever is substantially in excess of the normal clearance 50 between the hold-down sind 35 and pin 33, itwi1l result in raising the stud against its spring 41 as shown in Figs. 6 and '7.

II: will thus be seen that in this relative position of the parts, the pivot element and bearing will be separated by a sufilcient clearance space 58 to prevent contact therebetween resulting from shock during shipment or the like, but as soon as the locking pin 65 is removed, the lever will return to its normal position, and also the spring 41 will immediately return the hold-down stud 35 to its preseni; clearance position as described. This in turn makes it possible for the hold-down mechanism to be preset and locked at t.he factory in accurately adjusted operating position, and this adjustment will not be aflected by shipment of the scale, so that when the user receives the soale and is ready to set it in operation, he need only remove the locking pin 65 and is not required to make further adjustments of the holddown mechanisrn.

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged fragmentary view sirnilar to Fig 8 and showing a somewhat different construction of hold-down pin 10 corresponding in function to the hold-down pin 33, the view in Fig. 9 being in elevation looking towards the unsupported end of the pin III. As shown, I;his pin includes a knife edge II along i-ts uppermosiI side, and the pin 10 is o:t such portions and is so positioned in the lever 22 that its knife edge II is coaxial with the knife edge on the associated pivot element as already described, Fig. 9 Shows the normal operating position with the hold-down stud adjusted 110 provide clearance a1: 75 between its 1ower end and the knife edge H. Otherwise the construction and. operation cf this form of the invention is the same as described in connection With Figs. 2 to 8.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments 01 the invention, it is 170 be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes may b.e made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A pivot holddovvn for a scale having a base, a load platform, anc1 a 1ever having a. knife edge pivot adapted to be supported in a bearing 0n said. base for pivotal support of said 1ever in the weighing action of said sca1e, comprising an abutment carried by said 1ever adjacen said. knife edge, seid abutment having a cylindrically curved upper surface of substan'uial length extending in the same direction as said knife edge, said abutment and seid knife edge beim; movable upwardly relative 110 said base and said-bearing in response to uneven application of load 110 said platform, a holddown member having a lower face 01" substantial area. opposed to said curved surface of seid abutment and adapted 130 engage said curved surface over a 1ine of contact in response 110 said raising of said knife edge above said. bearing, means for mounting seid holddown member in a normal position directly above seid curved surface of said abutment, said holddown member and said. mounting means cooperang to maintain said holddown member in such relation to said abutment that said lower face thereof remains in slighaly spaced relation from seid curved surface as lang a.s said knife edge occupies its operative position wiohin seid bearing but in travel-limiting relation thereto when said knife edge mises away from its said bearing, means in said mounting means providing for deflection of seid holddown member away from its normal position and resulting inereased separation of said knife edge from its bearing, anci means for retaining saicl knife edge in said position of increased separation anc1 away from its bearing duril1g shipment and the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 895,125 Theobald Aug. 4, 1903 1,166128 I-Iapgood Dec. 28, 1915 1367220 Wetzel Feb. 1 1921 1600155 Wetzel Sept. 1 1926 1,785382 Hurt Dec. 16, 1930 1954205 I-Iem Apr. 10, 1934 2066,624 Hem Jan. 5, 1937 2272150 Hem Feb. 3 1942 2334326 I-Iem Nov. 16, 1943 2341,226 Marshall -1 Feb. 8, 1944 

